Female role models are important. They point out possibilities, help us to define our own goals and we can learn from their experiences. In our blog series #DigiWomenKA, Katharina Iyen meets one such role model from Karlsruhe’s digital sector once a month to find out more about them, their experiences and their commitment. In our special edition, she talks to the founders of CyberLab , the IT accelerator of the state of Baden-Württemberg, which is run by CyberForum e.V.. This time she spoke to Dr. Teresa Baumann, co-founder of GoSilico. She and her start-up went through the CyberLab accelerator program. We introduce the founder.

By Katharina Iyen

On one of the first sunny days of the year, I enter the premises of Cytiva, to which GoSilico now belongs, which are located in Kriegsstraße in Weststadt. A bright and loft-like atmosphere awaits me. The company extends over two floors. My co-founder and current conversation partner Teresa Baumann meets me in the light-flooded stairwell.

After a warm welcome, I take my chance and ask Baumann for a first photo. And while she poses for my camera in front of the old GoSilico logo, she explains the slogan: “Our credo is ‘Stop experimenting, go Silico’ – instead of an eternal trial-and-error process, we rely on computer models that deliver results within seconds. Simulated experiments that would otherwise take us a whole day in the lab.”

On the top floor, on the roof of the building, we finally settle down with a lemonade, where I learn more about Baumann’s career, her family, her personal experiences and also about challenges in the sunshine.

From university to start-up

As co-founder of GoSilico, Baumann has an impressive scientific and entrepreneurial track record. Growing up in Weil der Stadt, her interest in meteorology and her involvement with Greenpeace laid the foundations for a varied academic journey. She completed her degree in meteorology at the KIT Karlsruhe Institute of Technology and wrote her thesis in applied mathematics at the University of Heidelberg. This was immediately followed by her doctorate in numerical mathematics.

During her time as a doctoral student, she met Tobias Hahn, one of her three founders at GoSilico, while managing an open source project. The shared experience in the project steered the path of the two future business partners in a common direction of high performance computing. Baumann remembers the lively discussions and the enthusiasm with which Hahn reported on his work on chromatography software for biotechnology.

Karlsruhe start-up climate

“I always found the topic really exciting. One day, when they were looking for a third person to found a company, I thought feverishly about who it could be from my environment until it suddenly became very clear: me!” Karlsruhe offered her and her fellow founders a supportive environment: “I think that as a startup in the Karlsruhe area, you get a lot of positive public feedback and you can take a lot of energy from all the startup competitions.”

Baumann’s path to becoming a founder is characterized by strong family support and a firm belief in a structured approach, which she learned from her father. As a manager at Hewlett Packard, he encouraged them early on to take responsibility for realizing their dreams: “My dad in particular encouraged us very early on to really make plans”.

Vision, plan, implementation

For example, when she wanted a tree house at the age of twelve, which was preceded by a detailed project plan including a cost estimate and planning. “I then rode my bike to the DIY store every day, calculated the costs and wrote everything down on A4 sheets of paper,” Baumann recalls.

After she finally presented her plans to her father, they built the tree house together, which not only became a playground, but also a valuable lesson: “You have a vision, someone believes in it and actively supports you in making this vision a reality. That was a very important learning for me.”

From start-up to corporate group

Planning and implementing her visions still gives her a lot of energy to this day, even when she encounters challenges, reports Baumann. “I love making plans and knowing where the path will take me. I used to be able to act independently, but today, in a large corporation, it is of course a completely different kind of challenge.” There are three founders behind GoSilico: Dr. Tobias Hahn, Dr. Teresa Baumann and Dr. Thiemo Huuk. The company is now part of the global Cytiva Group.

GoSilico has specialized in the development of software solutions for the biotechnology industry from the very beginning. Their technology enables complex biotechnological experiments to be simulated virtually, significantly reducing the need for physical laboratory tests. This in turn leads to considerable time and cost savings in the research and development of biopharmaceutical products. The integration with Cytiva gives GoSylico the opportunity to offer its solutions to a broader market.

The ringmaster

Her parents didn’t give her any guidelines when it came to choosing a career, reports the founder. The fact that she does what makes her happy was crucial. Cultural studies or make-up artist – to help her decide, she attended a weekend seminar costing 500 euros, at the end of which it emerged that she should become a circus director. Laughing, she adds: “Somehow it’s true, founding a start-up can also have the feel of a circus.”

No problem for Baumann. “I’m very good at quickly finding my way through the jungle – I can usually see a way through the thicket of challenges straight away,” she explains.

Passing on responsibility means sharing responsibility

She likes to find quick solutions to seemingly unsolvable problems. No wonder the eight-month sales phase of GoSilico was challenging for Baumann. “It was a time of intense negotiations and careful scrutiny, but this phase was still really cool,” she recalls.

For Baumann, this experience was not only a highlight, but also a time of learning and personal development. She had to redefine her role and learn to relinquish responsibility within Cytiva’s new structures.

She also has to hand over responsibility in her private life. The pictures on Baumann’s desk reveal that she is not only an entrepreneur, but also the mother of two children. However, reconciling everything is often a challenge: “We already have a lot going on, my husband and I put our calendars together on Sundays and see when we have time together.” Her husband and she also receive support from her mother-in-law, who is indispensable, even though Baumann is currently working 100% remotely.